Monday, May 23, 2011 The Virginia Samboree

Thursday, the 26th, we drove to Urbanna, Virginia to BethPage Campground for the Virginia Samboree, our first time of being in this area.  It was about a 200 mile trip taking about 4.5 hours.  Driving into BethPage Campground almost took my breath away with the beauty of the campground.  Pretty ponds or lakes were at the entrance way, a huge water park and an overall neat and clean environment.  Other members of the Traveling Americans, the Woodruff’s and McGinnis’,

From 2011-05-21 Virginia Samboree

arrived a little later in the day.  We were fortunate to be able to be parked together.  Thursday evening the McGinnis’ and us , the Woodruff’s did not arrive until late, went into Urbana for dinner at Cafe Mojo.  Dinners were very good although a little pricey.  Tom and I each had a shrimp and scallop pesto penne pasta- very flavorful, had 3 scallops and 3 shrimps- for $24.00. 

Friday we walked about the common area of the Samboree checking out the vendors and talking with other attendees.  The 3 couples of us went into Urbana for lunch at a cafe.  In the afternoon, Tom and I and the McGinnis’ and about 40 others took a boat ride offered by the campground. 

From 2011-05-21 Virginia Samboree

The boat ride took us from the campground to the town of Urbana’s marina

From 2011-05-21 Virginia Samboree

and along areas of some big beautiful houses. 

From 2011-05-21 Virginia Samboree

For supper we had hot dogs, beans, and chips and drink at the Samboree.  The official opening ceremonies was held after supper.   Our entertainment was to have been a talk about “Dogs for the Deaf”, an organization that Good Sam supports, but the spokesperson was unable to attend.  A teenage girl entertained with her guitar and voice unfortunately the sound system was only a PA system.

Saturday morning started with a biscuit and gravy breakfast which Tom and I choose to skip eat our own food.   There were some seminars offered but it seemed that all were product oriented (can you say informercials?) so we did not attend.  The vendors were open for business – we had our names embroidered on denim shirts and jackets that have our club logo on.  We also purchased a picnic table and bench covers. And I got a new purse.  A flea market was held around lunchtime with folks trying sell off unwanted goods.  For $2.00 we bought 2 large plastic containers – something that I had been looking for to store my Wii.  Several Virginia Chapters were selling food for lunch.  We had a pulled pork sandwich with chips and cole slaw.  A Chinese auction was held and we did not get anything – just another donation made.  Mid afternoon there was to be a parade – we went and found that we had missed it- but we were shown 2 pictures of the only 2 groups in the parade.  Parade contestants are expected to dress in costume for the rally theme, the theme for this rally was the Samboree’s 35th Anniversary, not an easy theme to costume.  After missing the parade we went to the cakewalk which is really not a walk at all.  Participants sit in a circle and for a quarter given a paper plate with a number on it, the plates are passed around in time to music, the music stops, a number is drawn and the person with that number on their plate wins the cake or cookies. 

From 2011-05-21 Virginia Samboree

Tom was not a winner but I won a pineapple upside down cake.  Bruce McGinnis won a gingerbread.   We had a dinner of barbeque chicken, beans, corn, salad and corn bread and dessert  in the evening.  The entertainment on this evening was the Larkin Family- Dad, Mom and 2 daughters- from Nashville, Tenn.  Good entertainment. 

Sunday morning after eating breakfast in the motorhome we packed up and got ready to get on the road.  We did not stay for the closing ceremony as it would have been after 11am before we would have started our 4 to 5 hour drive home.  The weather was nice all weekend, just a few sprinkles of rain at times.  The campground was very nice but we learned is quite expensive- we were charged $49.00 for Thursday night.  Some folks wanted to stay over on Sunday and were told it would be $75.00 for that night but the campground did back down to give the $49.00 rally rate for Sunday also.  I know there are wonderful amenities at this campground but $75.00 for a campsite seems out of sight.

Next weekend the Maryland Samboree in Frederick, Maryland- much closer to home.